Make it happen – theme of this year’s International Women’s Day

This week, people across the globe are celebrating women through a variety of events that honour International Women’s Day – March 8th. Born from intersecting social justice movements, International Women’s Day (IWD) is a day where we recognize and celebrate the advancement of women, while also remembering that the goal of equality is not yet over. Although we have come a long way in addressing the inequalities faced by women, there is still much work to be done.

Particularly in Canada, we still need to address the many intersecting barriers that women experience in accessing the social determinants of health. Health inequities are really just a symptom of systemic inequities manifesting in, for example:

This year’s theme, Make it Happen, is encouraging action for advancing and recognizing women.

Here at home in Canada, Amnesty International is doing just this by launching a campaign to ensure that political parties make meaningful commitments to improve women’s lives. They are calling for a debate addressing issues affecting women and girls leading up to the next federal election. #UpforDebate is one way that Amnesty International is trying to continue the battle for women’s rights.

IWD is really an international festival of arts, conferences, rallies, networking events, parades and more. This day is about recognizing and celebrating women with allies and supporters, honouring the intersectional issues affecting everyone. Can you imagine the global energy currently underway in places all over the world?! You can find out what events are happing in your community on the IWD website.

We encourage you to use and follow some of the hashtags related to this special day:
#IWD2015
#womensday
#paintitpurple
#makeithappen